ALEX MULLINS is our idea of a true creative. Speaking of a past collection with W Magazine, Mullins declared, “I was creating without a purpose whatsoever”. This mind set is arguably the most fertile state any artist can be in, and Mullins AW18 collection shows, yet again, that this young designer is eager to push boundaries.
The show began in a fairly sober manner, with models in severe bias cut suits, caterpillar puffers fit for the toughest conditions, and smart reinventions of the classic trench-coat.
However, it was not long before garments became decorated with psychedelic swirls of all colours, eventually seeping their way into white boiler suits or emphatically consuming looks entirely.
According to Mullins, these opposing forces of conservatism and chaos represented ‘the right and left functions of the brain’. In fashion vocabulary, that translated into a stimulating contest between logical smart clothing and its more imaginative and rule-breaking counterpart.
This clever counterbalancing of traditional workwear and experimentation with digitally printed materials and re-imagined cuts is Mullins’ forte, and it was undoubtedly great to see this again. However, Glass believes that this particular collection also marks a welcomed departure from previous showings, as we see Mullins breaking away from a more muted colour palette, and also expanding his use of fabrics.
Mullins’ ability to simultaneously consecrate the familiar, while adding exciting new elements to his aesthetic, is why Glass will eagerly be awaiting this designer’s next showing.
The shards of past muses that were digitally printed onto the closing looks of the show, feel especially symbolic here. They brilliantly encapsulate how Mullins borrows from the past to explosively re-define menswear’s boundaries in the present.
by Gemma Power